REVIEW

The debut album from Melbourne-based cinematic post-metal band Myriad Drone introduces a project defined by scale, narrative flow, and meticulous dynamic control. Formed in 2014, the quartet—Shane Mulholland (guitar/vocals), Jacob Petrossian (guitar), Simon Delmastro (bass), and Frankie Demuru (drums)—has steadily built its profile through an active live presence, including support slots on Russian Circles’ New Zealand tour and release shows for fellow Australian folk/blackgaze act Suldusk.

At the core of Myriad Drone’s appeal is its expansive, almost story-like approach to soundscapes. Grounded in post-rock, the album weaves together progressive rhythmic shifts, the weight of post-metal guitar riffs, and the ferocity of blackgaze-inflected percussion. These elements are arranged with a keen sense of pacing, allowing moments of restraint and eruption to coexist within carefully structured compositions.

The guitar work moves fluidly between delicate clean passages and massive, meteor-like walls of distortion, while the vocals add a striking spiritual dimension. Mulholland’s voice—at times reminiscent of Gregorian chant—introduces a sense of reverence that elevates the material beyond genre conventions. The result is a sense of scale that feels as though it stretches from ancient temples to the heart of distant galaxies. This tension reaches a peak on #5 “Atonement,” where overwhelming volume and soaring vocal lines collide with such intensity that the track borders on the sublime.

The album’s quality has not gone unnoticed in certain circles. It was ranked #5 on the post-rock–focused YouTube channel Where Post Rock Dwells’s Best Albums of 2019 list, a recognition that underscores the band’s compositional strength. Despite this, Myriad Drone remains significantly underexposed, with streaming numbers that hardly reflect the ambition or execution on display.

In 2024, the band began unveiling new material from their forthcoming second album, signaling a further evolution in their sound. The introduction of harsher, more malevolent screams adds another dramatic layer, pushing the music toward an even starker emotional contrast. The first single, “Forlorn Hope,” in particular, suggests a heightened sense of conflict—almost apocalyptic in tone—where celestial melodies and infernal aggression appear to clash head-on.

For listeners drawn to the cinematic breadth of Sigur Rós, the spiritual weight of Alcest, or the shadowed intensity of Holy Fawn, Myriad Drone is a name worth committing to memory. Their debut stands as a powerful statement, and the trajectory hinted at by the new material suggests that their most compelling work may still lie ahead.

Related review: Myriad Drone – “A World Without Us”